In my last blog post I took a quick look on the happenings of 2018. When looking at it I realised that I had done quite the amount!!! Quite a valuable lesson for a person like me who would normally consider myself to not get enough done in any aspect of life! There is always that to do list and performance anxiety.

I do recommend that you do what I do when the going gets tough! Write down what you have done and treasure that instead of what is left!

To this post!! In this blog I have three things on the agenda! Rocks, resolutions for 2019 and rebelling against it all!!!

Caught Between a Rock, a Bunch of Burren Bullocks & a Most Competitive Sing Song

Went for the first hike of 2019 this weekend gone! This time to the Burren and to conquer Mullaghmore! This one (noted I might say this every time) was probably one of my favourites to date. With the combination of the landscape, the little bit of hardship (cliff hanging), fresh air and amazing company this is one to add to good memories.

One of the highlights was running into a fine bunch of Burren Bullocks and you always know when there is one male species in the pile to be wary of. He stands slightly away from his friend, totally pretends not to be looking at you, yet you know that this is precisely what he is doing. Using his peripheral vision to catch you and pin you against the rock the first chance he gets. But I haven’t lived on a farm for the past 18 years for nothing. I can handle the male species.

Whilst fellow hikers (a young, fit and strong looking couple) turned around I was adamant to get myself and my hiking partner (if possible) past this beast. So, keeping our backs close to the cliff wall, careful not to make a sound and of course not be seen in our bright pinks and blues we edged past him off the path! (Ever watched cliff hanger??)

Phew, got us there professionally and safely with muck up to our ankles, forgetting my fear for heights and a slight requirement to get to a bathroom quickly! However we continued on straight through the remaining, much friendlier looking herd!! Yeah, girl power!!

Keep in mind for this next part that the lady I was hiking with is fairly competitive and that I am not much better. We decided that instead of talking we would begin a sing song where one song would have to be related to the next!! We are still singing… and most definitely still competing. As the song goes ‘The Winner Takes it All’.

Then there is that comment that you say, that you know you shouldn’t have said. “Isn’t that the rock I took a photo of earlier……. To which, although I got a reply, I didn’t really need one. We were after all hiking through a limestone landscape! But…. Look at the picture. This rock is fairly special don’t you think!!

RESOLUTIONS

It is high time to set out some of the resolutions for 2019! As a tradition I don’t set or start mine fully until the first week in February! January is too much pressure to commit as everyone is going mad with all their 151 resolutions. This just makes me feel under pressure to perform again so I wait a little to get mine started. In saying that I have them written down, in a sealed envelope and I will re-open early January 2020 to look at progress!!

Here are a few of my resolutions;

1. To have lots of fun! I managed this last year and intent to manage it again this year! Keep pushing past musts and maybes and just have fun with my kids, my family, my friends, my work and work colleagues and of course with me!! I will try new things, go new places, meet new people and do some crazy s….tuff!!!!
2. Addictions – Oh I intend to keep some of them up!! I don’t believe all addictions to be bad ones and some releases your true you!!
3. My final tattoo until my 80^th birthday! This one bigger and bolder than those I have since before. (Sorry mum). This one is already in motion although we have not yet got to February!!
4. Keep Fit. I started this journey last year with the marathon plan. I am adamant to continue to keep fit, get fitter and sweat a lot!!
5. Breaking the comfort zone. This I want to do over, and over, and over again!!! To be challenged in all parts of your life creates and energy and drive that is to be reckoned with. Therefore, I will embrace the challenges that 2019 throws at me and push past my fears and inhibitions with gusto!!
6. Keep on finding MyMe and most importantly accepting MyMe!

My final one and probably one that summarises all the above, to some extent, is to be a REBEL in my own day to day life! Before anyone gets a chance please don’t call being a rebel having a midlife crisis! I am so not even near one of those!!! I’m just embracing life!! Oh I know the rules, but the rules don’t know me!

Turning 40 this year is one of the challenges coming and ahead of this I intend to make sure I am strong, healthy and bubbly from the inside out!  Started this week with a small spout of retail therapy, which certainly saw me start from the inside out, rebelling against the odds, breaking my comfort zone and having lots of giggles!!!

Oh, did I mention that I intend to have fun!!!

What does your resolutions look like?

Have a great week!

 

It’s over, it’s over, it’s over…. Back to reality with Christmas already a fading memory. A good one, but fading as we can begin planning for the next one. Got to stop signing things with 2018 for it to be fully over!

I had a great Christmas with a great variety of family time, food, drink, music, catch up with friends, more food, exercise (not enough) and board games.

One of the days I took time out with Ms Quaid and we went to visit the Glen of Aherlow to complete a hike. It turned out to be a most memorable day with a lot of those little moments….!!!

Weather hadn’t been and wasn’t the best so we did venture on some slippery slopes and had more than a number of near misses each! If there had been a fall we were both doomed as we were in the wrong company for help or sympathy! It would have been more photos and laughter….. than plasters and hugs.

During the hike we talked about everything….. everything that you can only talk about when you are alone in the hills of Tipperary! One particular mention and traumatising moment was when the very sophisticated travel companion of mine decided to (behind me) make a complaint about the increase in her level of boob sweat…. As I turned my head (the moment) I realised that in a less than “ladylike” manner she was trying to air and hand dry this sweat all in the one go!! Even I was blushing…..

On our hike we met two fellows jogging…. If you read this, will you please tell me what the story was with the Dunnes Stores shopping bag. Still haven’t figured that one out…..

Once back down the hills we decided on a Guinness & loo stop in Hospital. The only pub open at the time was this amazing old style pub with only a small bar and the bathrooms in through the family home. When coming in there was roughly 8 men around the bar counter and a female bartender.

And they were all Irish. Not only Irish but from Tipperary and it would so remind you of a Pat Short sketch. They didn’t fully know to handle strangers, especially not of the female kind, so the bartender started the inquisition as to why we were there, what we had done, where we were travelling from and so forth! Even her 89 year old mother (original owner of the pub) came out to have a chat!!!

With every answer or comment the group of the finest gentlemen had a comment that rounded in laughter. They settled after a little while to have their own conversations! One that was going on is what priest was used where. This is where Cannon Bacon was mentioned to which one of the chaps called out “You what, your priest is a can of pork”.

These were the group of men in Hospital!!

We finished our day with great food and proper pints (car no longer required to be driven by the chauffeur (me)) back at the Pipers Inn in Killaloe!!

One remark was made by one of the other customers!! “Fantastic, you obviously went for the after Christmas walk and never made it home”!!!

To finish this story Maria made a statement that will stay with me forever!!!!

“The two of us are like two dirty old men on the inside (no offense to old men nor dirty ones) but if anyone would dare to treat you any less than a lady I would kill them”

Friendship and beer talk at its best.

THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVOURITE………… MOMENTS OF 2018

Over the last week I took a look at the highlights of last year!! Needed to do so before going towards setting out my 2019 resolutions and challenges!! Here is one highlight from each month;

January – I went on my first ever cruise with my fabulous mum and friends! Trip of lifetime. By the way she is celebrating her birthday today!! I also started my blog this month!!

February – Few things into one here! Spent some self-rescue time in Killaloe which brought me to a place I now adore, got me to start hiking which as you know I have continued since, and got me to spend some time with me. In February I also collected my beautiful reflective portrait from the amazingly talented Clare Hartigan! This painting has become a part of my every day in all its magic.

March – SNOW and in particular good memories of the challenges that came with it!! (and I don’t mean the shortage of bread!!)

April – Getting to bring my small kids and new camera on a hike in Ballina!! The Graves of the Leinstermen. We still talk about it.

May – I ran 21.4kms….. Still hard to believe that I did!! Remember the tears of disbelief when I stopped and the beauty of walking my legs into the cold sea!!

June – The Kayaking Trip with the greatest bunch of ladies on Lough Derg!! Amazing from start to finish!!

July – Music!!! Three weekends in a row with music and friends!!

August – I went to Sweden with my daughter and my mum came here!! Treasured family and “home” time.

September – Got some amazing hiking done in September together with a trip to Birmingham which took me out of my comfort zone!

October – I got a new nephew and my baby brother became a dad for the first time!!!! Such a proud auntie and the time for me to meet him is finally nearing!!

November – New York, of course!!! Hard to beat New York and in particular getting to hang with my mum and two brothers. We are now in the planning stages of a holiday for this summer!!

December – December was rocking and full of excitement in a very short amount of time!! My first Christmas Jumper Day, The Riptide Movement, The Blizzards and HamsandwicH, Christmas, Hiking, Family, Food, Drink!! Truly turned out to be one of my favourite months!

These monthly highlights can be summarised into a few headliners which created my #smiles18

• Spending some really great time with my kids Jand getting to know their characters even better.
• Spending some really great time with myself – that is one I am very proud of and one habit I intent to continue.
• Finding, through my time with me as well as time with others, some inner parts of myself which had hibernated for so long they were nearly forgotten. Liberation!!
• Putting some exercise into my life and actually loving it.
• Having fun, trying new things and being a little (quite a lot) bolder which led to time with friends, family, colleagues whilst also creating new friendships.

I am currently accepting challenges for 2019 so let me know if you know how to push me to do something great this year!!

So finishing this blog with this great quote as well as wishing everybody a Happy New Year and best wishes for 2019!! Let’s start those #smiles19 from the outset!!